Despite MadProfessah's predictions yesterday, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated World #2 Rafael Nadal easily to reach his first Australian Open final. The score was 6-2 6-3 6-2 but the match was not even that close. Tsonga did not even face a break point until the third set and Nadal went 0 for 3 for the match while J-W was 5 for 7 in that category including a break of Rafa's very first service game(!) followed by a love hold by the Frenchman. Tsongas had 49 (+22) winners to Nadal's 13 (+1) including 27 aces (one of which was nearly 138 miles per hour).
Tsonga is projected to rise from his current 38 to (atleast) #27 on the new world rankings on Monday. He becomes the first Black man to be in a Grand Slam final since MaliVai Washington lost to Richard Krajicek in the 1996 Wimbledon final.
He becomes the first player to reach his first ATP final at a Grand Slam event since Gustavo Kuerten did at the French Open in 1997, and we all know what happened after that. (Kuerten went on to win at Roland Garros three times.) He plays either World #3 Novak Djokovic or World #1 Roger Federer in the final.
That was SWEET, he wiped Nadal up on that court, the thing that surprised me is that Nadal got as far as he did, considering this new surface is faster and his game isn't exactly suited for it. But, then again, I'm one of the few who just does not feel Nadal on any surface.
ReplyDeleteA Frenchman in the finals of a major, who would have thought it would have been Tsonga, and, not Gasquet????
And, for a big man, Tsonga does have cat like speed and agility, all good!
Tsonga, nice he's Frengolese!
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